New Year, New You

Happy New Year!  A new year is a time of reflection and introspection.  It is a time to look back over the previous year and determine what successes we had, and where we didn’t quite make the mark.  We determine where we would like to make changes or shifts in our personal and professional lives.

Maybe you overindulged on rich foods or didn’t exercise as regularly as you had originally planned.  Professionally, maybe you didn’t reach your success goals, or follow through on self-improvement plans.  Maybe you did achieve your goals, but in retrospect, realize that they might not have been high enough.  Regardless of what happened last year, the New Year is not a time for negative thoughts.  Instead it is a time to create new dreams, goals and intentions to improve and make this one better than the last!

If exercise or overindulgence is the issue, make a commitment to make healthier choices and actually get the exercise you need by going to the gym or getting out and walking.  To make this a true habit, keep track of everything you are doing to succeed.  Too many people start the year off great, but after 3 weeks they fall off because it is not a habit.  This is something that needs to become part of your daily routine, much like brushing your teeth.  As with anything, it takes a minimum of 30 days to develop a habit, so give yourself 30 to 90 days to make this something you will stick to.  You will soon start feeling and looking better.

Taking the time to look at your successes over the past year, as well as your stumbles, can allow you to gauge where you truly are in your professional life.  Take the time to write out where you achieved your goals and where you didn’t.  This will be your view for the future.  Maybe you planned on reading 10 self-improvement or business related books, but you only finished 3.  Is this so bad?  Not really, but if you truly desire to read more over the course of year, make a plan now to spend time reading for 1 hour every day.  Before you know it, you will have read more than your goal of 10 books.  Much like with exercise and healthy eating, make this a habit and truly give yourself 30 to 90 days to make it stick.

Maybe your goal last year was to increase your online presence or start a business, but you fell short.  Instead of looking at the negatives of not succeeding, look at how close you came to accomplishing them.  Did you increase your online presence over the year before?  Did you take a course to help you with starting your business?  Did you spend time working on your business plan or mapping out how you wish to move forward?  If your answer is yes to any of these questions then you did make progress.  Use the plans you worked out and get started.  Set your time lines, create your marketing plans, and get moving on them.  Maybe last year was not your ideal year, but using what you created and moving forward will help you reach those goals this year.

As with anything you desire to make into a new habit, keep track of what you are doing to succeed.  Create a tracker so you can see where you are making progress and review where you have fell short.  Do not let the lack of success prevent you from following your dreams or desires.  Remember, this is a new year and the start of a new you!  Make this your year and get started!